volume 56 issue 2 historical...

FootnotesSUMMER 2011

HistoricalCONCORDIA HISTORICAL INSTITUTE

VOLUME 56 ISSUE 2

C. F. W. Walther Remembered

Even though C. F. W. Walther, the firstpresident of The Lutheran Church—Mis-souri Synod, is often remembered as apastor, a theologian, or possibly even achurch politician, he was much more than

The home of young Walther was a typicalLutheran parsonage of that time. It wasmarked by an upper-middle class culture andby parsonage discipline. Two interesting sto-ries have come down to us. When he wasonly three years old, he experienced his firstpre-Christmas visit by St. Nicholas, whocame to the Walther home on December 6.Also known as “Pelznickel,” the saint in-quired about the progress the children hadmade in studying the Bible and the Cate-chism. Children were asked to give an ac-count of themselves and recite a poem or aprayer of some kind. The little three-year-old, standing in awe before St. Nicholas,shyly said:

that. He was, in addition to these things, a loving father,a devoted husband, a gracious neighbor and a belovedteacher. To be sure, he had his share of idiosyncrasiesand even failings. But he was nonetheless a sinner whowas confident that he had been redeemed freely byChrist, and this realization made this great leader of theLutheran Church a very humble servant. The followinganecdotes may help to illustrate his personal life.

Walther was born in Langenchursdorf, Germany, on Oc-tober 25, 1811. His parents, Gottlob Heinrich Waltherand Johanna Wilhelmina nee Zschenderlein, raised himin the parsonage in Langenchursdorf, where Gottlob wasthe pastor. August Suelflow, who wrote Servant of theWord, a biography of Walther that reflects years of de-tailed study, remarks:

Langenchursdorf, Germany

Gottlob Heinrich Walther

Johanna Wilhelmina Zschenderlein

Jesus, Thy blood and righteousnessMy beauty are, my glorious dressWherein before my God I’ll stand

When I shall reach the heavenly land.

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SUMMER 2011 HISTORICAL FOOTNOTES

(continued from page 1)

Quite a memory feat for a three year old! Sothought Walther’s father who was so over-joyed and proud of his little boy that he gavehim a three-penny piece. Ferdinand (as C. F.W. went by) concluded this must be a veryspecial verse to be worth such a generous re-sponse from his father. The youthful mindhad been indelibly impressed with this the-ology, which was to become the center of hisentire life.

The young Walther was sent away to the Latin school inSchneeberg to continue his studies. Suelflow notes aninteresting entry from Walther’s diary during this time,dated February 8, 1829:

St. Wolfgangskirche, Schneeberg, Germany

It was difficult for a young man to be a pious Lutheranin nineteenth-century Germany. Rationalism had a firmgrasp on the intellectual life, and Calvinism was slowlycreeping into the worship life. In spite of these imped-iments, the Holy Spirit preserved a desire for orthodoxLutheran doctrine and practice in the young Walther.E. M. Buerger, who met Walther before he emigrated toMissouri, recorded his first impressions of Walther:

Today my parents came and surprised me,which was most welcome. I can honestlyadmit that I am more pleasantly satisfied inthe midst of my own family, even though Ihave been trying to tell myself that I like itbest in the midst of my fellow students.

This desire for true Christianity—in spite of cultural in-fluences against it—became a quality well-suited for afuture president of a Lutheran synod in America. With-out the Holy Spirit’s diligent protection, it would bevery easy to take pride in one’s recognizably great tal-ents. Walther, however, remained remarkably humble.For example, when he was awarded an honorary doc-torate by Capitol University in Ohio, Walther wasmoved to tears and explained that he was unworthy toreceive such a high honor; God alone was responsiblefor his successes. He knew what might happen if heshould revel in his Lutheran “celebrity.” For instancewhen he read Hochstetter’s history of the MissouriSynod, Walther responded:

At first, I grant you, I dreaded to read yoursplendid book, because I myself occur in itso often. I was afraid of my own evil heart,which is so greatly prone to ascribe a littlebit also to me for what God has done to meout of incomprehensible mercy and forwhat he has used me as his most unworthyinstrument. Finally, however, after God al-lowed me again and again to feel my in-competence for all good and mydamnableness [apart from him], I over-came my dread.

Since a believing student, even at that time al-ready was extremely seldom, and I had heardfour years earlier already, from Kuehn andKeyl that he [Walther] belonged to the veryminority number of students in Leipzig whowere thoroughly concerned about justifica-tion, I was very happy to learn to know him.Since my return trip to my paternal home ledme through Langenchursdorf, we were ableto spend three hours together [daily?]. I rec-ognized him immediately as a very serious,humble and extremely timid Christian, andhis conversation betrayed him, that he carriedabout with him a deeply repentant, shattered,and even a heart that was filled with tentatio[spiritual struggles]. We became goodfriends on this journey and remained thatuntil his end.

All the Lutheran congregations in St. Louis were origi-nally united, and Walther served as their pastor. He was

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HISTORICAL FOOTNOTES SUMMER 2011


It is Christmas morning. Nature is surrounded bya solemn quiet; a soft blanket of snow is spreadupon it. The winter air is crisp, and soon the firstbell of the nearby church tower will be sounding toobserve this holy festival morning.

There the careful, faithful steward of Concordia,Mr. Heinrich Jungkuntz, hastens across the back-yard to the stables. “Hello, Charley!” he greets thepitch black horse who is happily neighing, its fieryeyes always expressing that he is very sly. “Did youenjoy your meal? Come, now we have to drive theDoctor to Trinity.”

He pushes the carriage—a modest, single-seat car-riage—out into the street, lays the harness onCharley, who always has a twinkle in his eyes, andclamps it down. Then he drives up to Dr. Walther’shome, jumps from the box and opens the carriagedoor.

But no sooner is this done, than the doctor [ap-pears]—who was always a very punctual man. Hehad already been waiting for him in his study,where he had been studying his homily, from veryearly in the morning with prayer and supplication,and memorized it carefully on the spot.

With a “Good morning, my dear Mr. Jungkintz,’”he

always humble and cordial, a style that appealed to boththe cultural elite and the common man. One incidentserves to illustrate how well-loved he was.

was quicker with his salutation [than the coach-man]. “God grant us a very merry Christmas!”“Yes, sir, Doctor, thank you, thank you!”

The artist of The Abendschule [who drew the pic-ture to the left] has depicted the scene admirably:the doctor in his fur coat, his hand-Bible and ser-mon manuscript lie in his arm, the steward in hisstorm coat, each from a distance tilting their hatstoward each other in greeting, and finally, the mis-chievous black horse Charley impatiently waiting.

On this nimble journey, it will go to TrinityChurch, and after the service, just as quickly backhome. Walther was for many years—until hisblessed end—the pastor of the Gesamtgemeinde inSt. Louis which was [composed] of the four dis-trict congregations: Trinity, Immanuel, Zion, andHoly Cross, each under its own pastor who alter-nated the preaching task every Sunday amongthemselves. On feast days he was accustomed totake a turn himself in these churches, holding afestival sermon, just as he always led the commu-nity meetings—the General Assembly—and helda great many wonderful educational lectures inthese [churches]. The steward in the coach, andthe black Charley with him, used to drive himback and forth to these gatherings. Both the coachand the horse were noble gifts of the Gesamtge-meinde for their beloved pastor, a gift that alwaysremained in his mind with heartfelt thanks. Buthe did not value any less his true and faithfulcoachman, who definitely understood how tohandle the wild Charley.

As far as my getting married is concerned, I amstill awaiting an indication from God, as to whenHe wills that this be done. I am at present morefrightened of this than I am attracted to it. I amafraid that I will make my future wife unhappy.I am now entirely convinced, that I acted con-trary to God’s will in this matter [the immigra-tion], still I do not see how I can go back on thisdecision now without offending God. May Godgive me a penitent heart, that what I have

When it came to Walther’s family life, he was not always aspolished as he was in the pulpit. From his letters, though, it isreadily apparent that he deeply loved his wife and children.In 1840 he wrote a letter to his brother, Otto Herman, a portionof which was written in Latin, possibly to conceal it fromOtto’s wife, Agnes, who was Emilie’s sister. In the letterWalther demonstrates his uncertainties about getting married.

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Walther warmly greets his coachman outside his house on Texas Avenue before they driveto Trinity for the Christmas morning service.

SUMMER 2011 HISTORICAL FOOTNOTES

Nearly eighteen months later, Walther apparently had re-ceived the confirmation he had been seeking. He sent a letterof proposal to his future wife, Emilie Buenger. In it, he con-fessed that just as he was unworthy of God’s grace, so he wasunworthy of her love. Nevertheless, even a small excerpt willdemonstrate how he felt for her:

A week later, she wrote to accept his proposal, and they weremarried a month later. Their marriage was blessed with sixchildren, four of whom survived to adulthood. One letter tohis daughter illustrates his love for his children:

I noted with joy in your last letter that the Lordhas again blessed you with maternal hopes.That of course again poses a heavy burden for

you and brings with it many a care and alsosome danger. . . . Ever since I have known of it,therefore, I have daily implored our dear God tocontinue to be with you, to protect and keep youin all your ways, to lighten your burden, and inHis time safely to deliver you and make you ahappy and blessed mother of children.

Dear heartily beloved Emilie,

As little as I have till now had the right to write toyou, and particularly with such a greeting, yet Icannot do otherwise if I am to be honest with you.[ . . . ] Therefore I cannot wait any longer to ex-press this my wish frankly, also to you. It is this:Will you, dearest Emilie, become my life’s com-panion? Can you return at least in some degreethe love which, as I now confidently hope, Godhas enkindled in my heart for you? Do you be-lieve that you can live with me happily, content-edly, and God-pleasingly in a union as intimateand inseparable until death as the holy estate ofmarriage is?

One further scene from the Walther household exem-plifies C. F. W.’s humility.

The scene presented in this picture was not an un-usual occurrence—it did not happen because ofhis wife’s or maid’s absence—that he himself car-ried the necessary firing material into his home.No—the contrary was correct—it was a daily rou-tine. Even during extreme winter weather onecould see him in his study robe carrying an ample


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wrongly begun, maywith God’s help bebrought to a good end,and that He, in accor-dance with His pa-tience, may turn awaythe offense that I havecommitted. I uncover,that God may cover; Ireveal, that He mayconceal; I stand, thatHe stand by to help; Icondemn, that Hemay approve.

Emilie nee Buenger Walther

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HISTORICAL FOOTNOTES SUMMER 2011


supply of firewood from the shed behind thehouse upstairs to his study.

He was not interested in the modern and com-fortable way of heating with coals, at least notin his study, and he insisted until the very endto continue having the old comforting andpleasing warmth of his wood-burning stove.

Students often offered to take over this taskafter they saw the dear man carrying his ownfirewood up to his study, and once in a while,during the doctor’s absence, he was surprisedto find a decent supply of the same already inplace without him even knowing who haddone the work. Other than that, nobody couldtake this pleasure away from him and he verymuch disliked the thought of asking his wife oreven a servant to accomplish this task. Nobodywas allowed to perform such low duties forhim—he took that upon himself, and besidesthat he enjoyed tremendously to “drink in” acouple of breaths of fresh air during his hecticwork schedule. remembered as a humble, loving, family man. As we

commemorate his two-hundredth birthday this year,we can take a moment to put a personal face on, ar-guably, the most influential leader of The LutheranChurch—Missouri Synod.

1. Suelflow, Servant of the Word, 11-12.2. Suelflow, Servant of the Word, 15. 3. Suelflow, Servant of the Word, 19. [Tagebuch gehalten von F. Walther; Primaner zu Schneeberg (Den Ersten Januar, 1829 [Walther’s Diary, 1829-1831]), C. F. W. Walther Papers, M-0004, f. 373, Concordia Historical Institute.] 4. letter from E. M. Buerger to A. L. Graebner, February 24, 1888, translated by A. R. Suelflow. Concordia Historical Institute [Suelflow files, f. B-99]5. Die Abendschule, 57:22 (May 18, 1911), 11-12.6. letter from C. F. W. Walther to Chr. Hochstetter, July 31, 1885. Concordia Historical Institute [Suelflow files, f. 523]7. Die Abendschule, 57:22 (May 18, 1911), 18-19. Translated by David Herald.8. letter from C. F. W. Walther to O. H. Walther, May 4, 1840. Concordia Historical Institute, translated by James Ware, December 30, 1986 [Suelflow files, f. 41]9. Suelflow, Servant of the Word, 224.10. letter from C. F. W. Walther to Magdalene Keyl, April 18, 1867. Servant of the Word, p. 249.11. Die Abendschule, vol. 57, number 22 (May 18, 1911), 30. Translated by Reed Lessing.

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Dr. Martin H. Scharlemann: A Faithful Servant (Part One)

administrator, professor, pastor, father and volunteer. He served on thefaculty of Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, for over thirty years includingthe years 1970 to 1975, a time which his colleague on the faculty, Dr.Richard Klann, has termed “that difficult season.” In many ways Dr.Scharlemann was at the center of events that dominated the headlines inThe Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod during that time.

Time can often benefit the historian. Looking back andthoughtfully considering events in the near or distant past,one finds it helpful to have gained some distance, some sep-aration, from the critical events of another time period. Suchmay be the case with the life of Dr. Martin H. Scharlemann.Dr. Scharlemann was a military chaplain, scholar, author,

Martin Scharlemann and Dorothy Hoyer’s wedding

These are just a few glimpses into the personal life ofC. F. W. Walther. He was always remembered as aman of great theological insight, but he should also be

Walther carrying a suppy of firewood from the shed to his study upstairs

SUMMER 2011 HISTORICAL FOOTNOTES(continued from page 5)C. F. W. Walther’s desk

Doctor of Theology degree from Union Theological Semi-nary, New York City.

While Dr. Scharlemann may be most well-remembered asa seminary professor, he began his ministry servingparishes in Minnesota, Indiana, Missouri and Wisconsinbefore becoming an active-duty army chaplain in 1941. In1952 Scharlemann accepted a call to Concordia Seminary,Saint Louis, but remained active in the Reserves until hismilitary retirement in 1971. Dr. Scharlemann continued toserve at Concordia Seminary until his death.

Dr. Scharlemann and his wife, Dorothy (nee Hoyer), wereblessed with four children and together celebrated forty-four years of marriage. He was called to his eternal gloryon August 23, 1982.

Throughout his life, Dr. Scharlemann received many acco-lades. These include: the Legion of Merit, the Air Univer-sity Medal, the Saint Martin of Tours Medal and the Chiefof Chaplains Special Award. In 1982 he became the firstrecipient of the Aeterna Moliri (Builders for Eternity)Award from Concordia College, Saint Paul, Minnesota, andalso received an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree fromConcordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, Indiana.

Dr. Scharlemann, his writings and his activities elicited agreat many discussions and articles during his life. Morehas been written and said since his death.

And now, with the opening of his personal collection atConcordia Historical Institute, we may come to know thisdedicated servant of Christ and the Gospel more fully.

Scharlemann collection now open for research

Concordia Seminary, Saint Louis;a Master of Arts and a Doctor ofPhilosophy degree from Washing-ton University, Saint Louis; and a

at the Lutheran Academy forScholarship. Dr. Scharlemannwas a major driving force be-hind this organization and

Following Dr. Scharlmann’s death in 1982, Concordia His-torical Institute received many of his personal papers andmanuscripts. These items, which had been closed to re-search since that time, have now been opened. Dr. Scharle-mann’s collection contains thousands of pieces ofcorrespondence, manuscript drafts, his military record,personal journals, course notes and various media. Thereis a total of thirty-six boxes in the collection. To re-acquaintour readers with Dr. Scharlemann we will be publishing afive-part series on his life. This first part offers a briefoverview and summary of Dr. Scharlemann’s life. Parttwo will look at his career in the military chaplaincy, wherehe served in both the Army and the Air Force and he foundhimself ministering to a little-known group of Protestantsin Italy. Part three will look

served as its president for more than two decades. Partfour will consider his academic life, as a professor and au-

thor. Part five will conclude the series and will look at the“controversial” Dr. Scharlemann. It will give a broadoverview of the critical events which occurred in the LCMSand at Concordia Seminary during the late 1950s, 1960sand early 1970s.

Ernst Karl and Johanna Harre Scharlemann welcomedMartin into the world on December 28, 1910, at Nashville,Illinois, the eleventh of twelve children. Dr. Scharlemannstudied at Concordia Colleges in Fort Wayne, Indiana, andSaint Paul, Minnesota, in what would prove to be only thebeginning of his educational pursuits.

Dr. Scharlemann earned a Master of Divinity degree from

Dr. and Mrs. Scharlemann and their four children

Martin Scharlemann served as chaplain during WWII

HISTORICAL FOOTNOTES SPRING 2011

Mr. Edward A. Firnhaber by Ms. Lola M. KulowRev. O. C. Jagels by Mr. Eldon JaegelsClara Krause by Mr. Michael T. RussertRev. H. George Krause by Mr. and Mrs. Scott MeyerRev. Leonard R. Kutscher by Mrs. Mabel KutscherRev. David Mulder by Rev. and Mrs. Marvin HugginsRev. David Mulder by Joseph and Patrice RussoMurray Pape by Mrs. Dorothy JuergensenMr. Albert Seboldt by Mrs. Natalie Wehrman

Walt Steiner by Mrs. Natalie Wehrman

In Memory of

Suzie Dahling’s 80th birthday by Dr. Herbert FoelberConcordia Historical Institute by Lutheran Hospital School of Nursing Alumni, St. Louis, MO

50th wedding anniversary of Rev. and Mrs. Herb Mohlenhoff by Mr. Kenneth Werring

In Honor & Commemoration

Chaplain James E. ShawDr. and Mrs. Willis Mundt

Muhlenberg Traveling

Exhibit Visits CHI

Concordia Historical Institute, along with ConcordiaSeminary, hosted a traveling exhibit this spring. The ex-hibit, Henry Melchior Muhlenberg (1711-1787): Patriarch ofthe North American Lutheran Church, was developed bythe Francke Foundations in Halle, Germany. It consistedof twenty panels detailing Muhlenberg’s life and min-istry through text, documents and images. The exhibitremained at CHI for four weeks.

The opening event, held on April 26, began in the semi-nary library with two excellent lectures given by semi-nary professors Dr. Robert Kolb and Dr. Gerhard Bode.They presented “‘So Much Began in Halle:’ The MissionProgram That Sent Mühlenberg to America” and “Manon a Mission: Henry Melchior Muhlenberg and theLutherans in America” respectively. The roughly thirtyattendees then walked over to CHI for a reception wherethey enjoyed wine and appetizers while viewing the ex-hibit and conversing with each other. What a lovely wayto celebrate the 300th anniversary of Muhlenberg’s birth!Tim Koch, David Herald

(photo by Rebecca Wells)Dr. Gerhard Bode, Dr. Robert Kolb

(photo by Rebecca Wells)

Mr. Harvey BallyRev. Glen BaumanRev. and Mrs. Martin ConklingMs. Sharon CressMr. Michael DornerMrs. Kathy (Suelflow) DuBoisRev. Robert EdenMrs. Violet ErnstFaith Lutheran Church, New Port, Richey, FLMrs. August GehringRev. and Mrs. Wayne GraumannMr. Norman HauretMr. and Mrs. Morris HuelskoetterRev. and Mrs. Marvin HugginsMrs. Sylvia A. KnehansErwin T. Koch Trust

Donors

Matching Gifts

Mr. Gerald E. LuedtkeDr. Cameron A. MacKenzieMr. and Mrs. Richard MarrsDr. George NielsenMr. Eugene NissenPeace Lutheran Church Men’s Club, St. Louis, MORev. Richard E. PeckmanRev. Walter ResnerSt. Paul Adella Society, Hilton, NYSt. Paul Lutheran Church, Long Beach, CASt. Paul Lutheran Church Afternoon Guild, Des Peres, MOMr. William H. SchwanMs. Constance SeddonMr. Herman L. SmithMr. Kurt H. StarkeSt. Stephen Evangelical Lutheran Church, Horicon, WIRev. Harlan Wendler

Historical FootnotesCONCORDIA HISTORICAL INSTITUTE804 SEMINARY PLACEST. LOUIS, MO 63105-3014

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SUMMER 2011 ISSUE

TO OUR FRIENDS OF HISTORY:

Concordia Historical Institute congratulated Concordia Seminary graduates at its annual CHI reception on April 14, 2011. Pictured above are David Herald and Daniel Suelzle. (Photo by Patrice Russo)

Historical Footnotes is a quarterly publication of Concordia Historical Institute (CHI). The Institute is the Department of Archives and History of

The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod, and is a not-for-profit corporation registered in the State of Missouri.

Editor: Marvin A. Huggins. Associate Editor: Patrice Russo. Copy Editors: Marvin A. Huggins, Bonnie Schmidt.

Writers: “C. F. W. Walther Remembered,” by David Herald; “Dr. Martin H. Scharlemann: A Faithful Servant,” by Todd Zittlow;

“Muhlenberg Traveling Exhibit Visits CHI,” by Rebecca Wells.

For additional information about the Institute and its services call 314.505.7900 or consult its Web site:

http://www.lutheranhistory.orgFor historical or research questions call 314.505.7935

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